It’s fair to say that as far as cold war era tanks go, the AMX-30 has never received as much attention as vehicles like the British Centurion and Chieftain, the US Patton series, and the German Leopards. In fact, the only thing published specifically on the AMX-30 in English (as far as we can tell) is AFV Weapons Profile #63 by R.M. Ogorkiewicz way back in the early 70’s! Clearly, this is a vehicle that deserves better than one book in 50 years, so it was a welcome development when Polish publisher Kagero released this new two volume set on the AMX-30. The author of the book, M.P. Robinson remains a bit of a mystery. The book does not include an “about the author” section and a quick google search does not reveal any other books written by Mr. Robinson. Fortunately, Mr. Robinson is more than up to the task given him. [Read more…]

“War is Boring” is a website that posts regular original content that focuses on war, military technology and international politics. Below are links to some of their recent articles pertaining to tanks and armored vehicles:

Jane’s is reporting that Nigeria is taking delivery of a consignment of T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles. According to the article preview the vehicles are being transported by plane from the Czech Republic and that “The aircraft will make three trips between Ostrava-Mosnov and the end user to transport a total of 16 vehicles.” According to the website Global Security, Nigeria has ordered and/or received 77 T-72 tanks and 16 AMX-30 tanks in the period of 2001 – 2008 to add to their existing tank inventory, which is mainly made up of T54/55 vehicles. However, other reports state that Nigeria just recently added the 77 T-72 tanks to their inventory. Reportedly, these tanks are being used to fight Boko Harum. Pictures show that these vehicles are equipped with what appears to be Kontakt ERA.

Reuters has an interesting article about the Facebook page of Ukrainian tank commander Alexei Chaban. A First Lieutenant of the Ukrainian 17th Tank Brigade, Chaban, 50, became an internet sensation after he posted an open letter on Facebook to the mother of a Russian tank commander whose life he had spared during a skirmish last week. The incident occurred on Jan. 22 when a Russian commander, gunner, and driver got ouf of their damaged vehicle within gun range of Chaban’s tank. “When they got out of their disabled vehicle, we just had to push a button in our tank and all that would have been left of them would have been a memory of our sinful world,” Chaban wrote. “We didn’t kill them. We let them go.” Chaban’s Facebook page is in Russian and contains numerous snapshots from the field and commentary on equipment.